Can Tiago Splitter push all the right buttons in Chicago?
Yahoo Sports senior NBA analyst Kevin O'Connor and Trey Kirby talk Chicago Bulls, and if new head coach Tiago Splitter can make his forward rotation fit in year one. Check out the full conversation on "The Kevin O'Connor Show" and subscribe on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , YouTube or wherever you listen .
Video Transcript
Young team, but I think from an X's and O's standpoint, with Tiago Splitter as, as the new head coach, I am gonna be very, very intrigued to see the way in which he uses a lot of these forwards.
You have Josh Giddey, who's a big point guard, Mantas Buzelis at 6'9", who's a very talented shot creator as well, Caleb Wilson, who is not a big, he looked more like a big wing in summer league- Mm-hmm shooting threes, handling the ball.
So you got Caleb Wilson, Mantas Buzelis, Josh Giddey, even, you know, Noah Sengwe, he has not looked great so far, but he's another big creator.
Like, this team has Dalen Swain is a rookie coming in at 6'6," good size.
Leonard Miller is a deep guy off the bench.
There's a lot of big guys, but with Caleb Wilson, Mantas Buzelis, and Josh Giddey being the main ones, how the hell does Tiago Splitter work these guys in together?
I, I'm just gonna be fascinated to watch that above all else.
That's a great question, KOC, 'cause you're mentioning all of these guys with good size, good ath- good athleticism, good speed, maybe good athletes.
You're not naming a lot of good shooters, which I think is why Norman Powell was such an important piece for them to add this off-season.
Just somebody who can shoot from three and that is gonna willingly shoot from three.
When you look at the projected starting lineup, he's the only plus three-point shooter.
I guess you could say Buzelis and Giddey, like, top out at average three-point shooting.
I think it's gonna have to be transition that they're scoring in, and it's kinda hard to tell exactly what Tiago Splitter's gonna try to pull off with the Bulls 'cause he only had that one season with Portland, and I look at the way Portland had success last year.
Physicality, defense, they were one of the teams that kinda helped usher in the picking up full court strategy.
That doesn't necessarily play to the Bulls' strengths this year.
I don't see them being a lockdown defensive team.
I think they're a team that's gonna take their licks, on that end, and then hopefully, you know, put up 120, 125 running as much as possible, getting the ball out and trying to turn some kinda turnovers into offense.
